My Secret Life: Christopher Kane, fashion designer, 28

(Sam Holden)

My parents were... My dad was a draughtsman, and he also had a pub. He was very ambitious and he knew what he wanted. My mum, on the other hand, was a housewife, she raised five kids. She worked part-time in schools as the dinner lady. She's a big character, so she fitted right in.

The house/flat I grew up in... When I was younger I lived in a small house with three rooms. It was cramped with five kids, it was mad. That was in a place called Newarthill, 16 miles from Glasgow. Then we upgraded to a house with more bedrooms.

When I was a child I wanted to... I never really knew what a designer was, but when I saw a thing about it on TV it was so seductive; for me, from my background, it was like a beacon of light. Then when I became a teenager I started understanding that 'designer' was an actual job.

If I could change one thing about myself... I'd love to be taller. That's a really vain answer! I'd like to not get bored so easily.

You may not know it but I'm no good at... saying no. And I'm no good at making my mind up.

At night I dream of... My dreams are always quite cinematic. They're never that fantastical – true to life, quite gritty.

What I see when I look in the mirror... Someone getting older, greyer.

It's not fashionable but I like... I love crap TV, I'm not a snob, I can watch anything. Old soaps or Come Dine With Me, The Apprentice...

I wish I'd never worn... No regrets. As a kid I wore all sorts – I was hooked on the Benetton jeans, bright colours and all that, but I look back on it fondly. I was encouraged to dress up – my sisters to used to dress me in full-on rainbow.

I drive... I don't drive a car, but I do like a cab! I like the luxury of a cab.

My favourite item of clothing... I love my J Brand jeans, and I have a huge selection of cashmere jumpers from Johnstons who I work with – it's my staple.

My house is... I share with my boyfriend Declan, it's a small one-bedroom flat crammed with clothing and shoes. I hate doing the dishes so there are usually a few dishes lying around...

My secret crush is... It has to be my mum's new bulldog pup, he is gorgeous.

Movie heaven... I love John Waters; Hairspray is my all-time favourite. I love Imitation of Life, a bit of Joan Crawford – they're so grand, those old productions.

A book that changed me... It sounds so clichéd but I think fashion magazines when I was a teenager. I used to read Vogue, The Face, i-D – and you'd be like 'London's so extreme!', but it really gave you an insight into the fashion scene. And the Reader's Digest sewing guide.

My greatest regret... is not buying things that I should have when I was a student. You were skint, but I still wish I'd bought that McQueen or Versace, for the archive – everyone else did, and I didn't!

My real-life villains... Time. It always just ticks away when you really want more of it.

The person who really makes me laugh... Me. I don't take myself too seriously.

My five-year plan... We're still such a young company, we're still working on a lot, but I want to just keep expanding. Maybe in five years I'll have a little shop somewhere.

My life in six words... How do you answer that? 'Lots of clothing, never enough time'.

A life in brief

Christopher Kane was born in 1982. In 2000, he moved from the Scottish village of Newarthill to London where he studied womenswear at Central Saint Martins. Kane trained with Giles Deacon and Russell Sage before setting up his own label when he graduated in 2006. In 2007 he was awarded New Designer of The Year at the British Fashion Awards. Kane has designed a taxi 'wrap' for Vodafone London taxis (in which customers can pay via their mobiles). He lives in Dalston, London, with his partner